A New York doctor who was rushed to Bellevue Hospital on Thursday with symptoms of Ebola has tested positive for the fatal virus. The doctor, Craig Spencer, recently returned home to New York from West Africa, where he was a part of Doctors Without Borders. Spencer, 33, is the first diagnosed case in the city.
Health officials say Spencer returned home from treating Ebola patients in Guinea about 10 days ago. He developed a fever of 103 degrees, nausea, pain, and fatigue, which are all symptoms of Ebola infection, Thursday morning. He was admitted into Bellevue Hospital and moved to the isolation unit. There, he tested positive for the virus. A followup test will be done by the CDC to confirm the first diagnosis in New York.
New Yorkers expressed their concerns over the possible spread of the virus throughout the city, especially for users of the city’s public transit system, MTA. Sources noted Spencer traveled from Manhattan to Brooklyn on the subway on Wednesday night and took a cab home from a bowling alley.
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio reassured New Yorkers that “careful protocols were followed every step of the way” in the handling of the case. He noted that Spencer is working closely with health officials. Disease detectives have contacted those who may have come in contact with the physician when he first showed symptoms Thursday morning. His Harlem apartment was sealed off and workers passed out information fliers about the disease.
At this time medical officials said that Ebola is not airborne, meaning an infected person cannot spread the disease through the air. The virus can only be spread by making direct contact with a person already displaying signs of infection. Ebola is transmitted through bodily fluids and secretions, including blood, mucus, feces, and vomit.